I love to give September and October studio projects a fall twist.  This week, my elementary students completed their collaged loon-scapes, their Flapdoodles landscape rocks, and they learned how to artistically use chalk pastels to build layers as they created pumpkins on black paper.  Striking!  

The loon collages turned out so well that I decided to turn them into a "Cry of Loons" poster to sell, with proceeds going to scholarships for Riverwood Studio classes.  Let me know if you'd like to place an order.  They are 20x24 inches (standard frame size) and cost $18 plus tax.

My online elementary students did an elephant collage on their sketchbook covers instead of loons.  Here are a few of their wonderful projects.

My intermediate students worked hard on drawing exercises, including individual still lifes.  We are also discussing the major movements in art history, which explains the Egyptian photo on the computer screen.  If you could hear this picture, you would hear ancient Egyptian music playing in the background.  My online intermediate class began this week.  I'll share pictures of their work in the future.

Friday evening was a time for teaching watercolor over Zoom to my teen and adult class.  We used a fall palette of colors to create ink & wash florals.

Finally, here are a few fall photos I took on my walk around my neighborhood Friday morning.  Everything was bathed in gold and fluttering.  I had my curated "Fall Vibes" Spotify playlist, with everything from James Taylor to Maroon 5 filling my ears, and was definitely in my happy place...

Each October, I like to offer an adult watercolor class that explores the colors and themes of autumn.  This year we painted pumpkins and loose florals after we created a fun swatch of autumn colors.  My Koi watercolor pan sets, though very affordable, never disappoint in their rich, saturated colors.  My goal is to teach students how to properly load their brushes with the right paint:water ratio, and then how to use the brushes to their full potential.  That's where the magic happens. 

Each student has her own flair with the paints, even though I demonstrate "my way" of painting.  I LOVE encouraging individuality within a framework.  I try to model laughing at yourself and reframing "mistakes." And I enjoy simply spending time with women who make creative expression a priority.  

Enjoy the slideshow...

Teaching watercolors to young, curious, enthusiastic minds is among my favorite things in the world!  This week at camp, the kids learned all kinds of watercolor techniques as they explored their new supplies.  New vocabulary like glazing, scumbling, masking, salting, lifting, and mopping were taught and tried out.  The girls painted in the studio and outside in nature, and they completed many pieces by the end of the week, including transparent lotus flowers, a landscape & seascape, a bohemian owl, and more!  Here is a slideshow of the week...

I think I could paint rainbow popsicles all day!  The wet on wet technique combined with glazing the shadows was fun to practice and teach to my upbeat students.  The only complaint of the night was my failure to provide ice cream at the end of the class!  Check out the slideshow below for students at work.

I'm so grateful to the 13 folks who signed up for my first Watercolor Bootcamp.  Not only were the enthusiastic learners, the were excellent encouragers to me as I experimented with new ideas and teaching methods.  We agreed the class should be longer, so my next bootcamp, coming in September will be every other Thursday for 6 weeks.  I will keep some projects the same and try some new ones.  Check out the slideshow!  

These ladies let me guide them through watercoloring feathers and nests in honor of the long-awaited arrival of spring!